In a kingdom not so far away (about 30 minutes drive) archers specializing in the long-bow arrived from lands near and distant (I think one was from England) for a chance to win the emperor's enchanted horseshoe, which he borrowed last summer from the Wicked Witch of the Southeast and forgot to return it.
The townsfolk eagerly assembled in organized lines to witness the fast-paced competition. They were urged to keep their distance to avoid face-fulls of “dirt” as the galloping horses sped past, kicking all sorts of ground matter through the air.
The atmosphere quickly turned sinister, however, as the Wicked Witch of the Southeast (WWOTSE) made an unwelcome appearance. Aiming her bow high, her intent was to capture the emperor and recover the enchanted horseshoe.
By sheer luck, a bystander captured the scene as it unfolded.
Fortunately her evil scheme was thwarted by three quick-thinking guards!! And the battle was on.
It didn’t last long, however, because the guard known as “Smiley” stared down the WWOTSE, disarmed her and sent her packing.
For their heroism, the emperor offered the enchanted horseshoe to the brave guards (and their family), but instead of accepting the gift, the honorable soldiers told the emperor to return it to its rightful owner and that he should be a more responsible borrower.
And then it was time to celebrate, which translates, in most languages at least, to “Eat!”
As is the tradition in the kingdom not so very far away, which if you have forgotten is where this story is set, all warriors must prove their strength through the very messy tradition of devouring octopus balls (that’s balls of dough with octopus parts inside).
Even the youngest of warriors is not exempt from this unique custom.
The emperor was so impressed with their eating of the octopus balls that he immediately sent them on a quest to capture the flower horse – not really enchanted; just a big horse made of flowers, but who wouldn’t want one.
Their first stop was the marshmallow house. Little did they know that this would prove a formidable enemy. Once they walked inside they found it empty except for a small screen on the wall. And what was playing on that screen? Oh, the horror!! A loop video of the marshmallow house in conversation with himself. With all the strength they could muster, thanks to the octopus balls of course, the fearless warriors managed to break free from the clutches of marshmallow madness only to fall victim to . . .
The marshmallow sedan!! But thankfully it was asleep that day, so it did little more than draw their attention for all but a few irretrievable minutes.
What’s this? A warning sign? The warriors laughed. Nothing could keep them from their quest to find the flower horse.
And so the warriors bravely marched ahead, quickly taming the wild beasts so they would not pose a hindrance to their work.
In fact, the warriors were so successful that they soon found the wild creatures to be quite tame, rather playful actually.
They stayed and played awhile, but soon it was time for sad goodbyes. Warriors have feelings too, you know. So they hugged the trees a bit and were off.
Only to fall into the clutches of the big white thing with black eyes. What were they to do? No one had ever crossed paths with the big white thing with black eyes before. Turns out, there wasn’t much substance to him so the warriors simply passed him through and continued on their quest.
Within minutes (across the street, really) they came upon a true, larger than life opponent. Surely now they’d met their match. But these warriors did not flinch and quickly hatched a plan.
Using the smallest of the warriors as bait, they quickly outwitted the evil six-legged creature and were past him in no time.
Turns out, the last creature was the guardian of the flower horse!! Victory was theirs for the taking. All they had to do was figure out how lead this horse back home.
The End
by Rob
PS That was really from our trip to Sakura Yabusame and the art museum in Towada City. I just wanted to spice it up a little.
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